


Mind Tricks

by koalathebear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 16:43:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5750584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalathebear/pseuds/koalathebear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another take on nightmares and mutual comfort ...  Thanks in particular to daylightspeaks who is the sweetest reader in the world because even though comments are not mandatory, it's always lovely to know that people are reading and enjoying a story! :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mind Tricks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daylightspeaks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daylightspeaks/gifts), [ersatzash](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ersatzash).



> This one addresses a few prompts so ended up being a bit long:  
> \- So according to canon Poe's idol is General Organa. So what if out of respect for General Organa Poe doesn't pursue a romantic relationship with Rey but there is quite a bit of angst/pining (daylightspeaks)  
> \- more Poe watching over Rey while she sleeps (in a non-creepy way :) (daylightspeaks)  
> \- Leia finding out about their relationship (ersatzash)  
> \- "wake up we have to go" from the [Sharing A Room](http://koalathebear.tumblr.com/post/137532629386/i-know-this-isnt-how-prompts-work-but-because-i) prompts list.

The nightmares come and go – and then they hang like an oppressive cloud in her thoughts. 

For the particularly bad ones, Rey lies in her bunk shaking uncontrollably, hands curled up into fists. 

_I can take whatever I want …_

She wakes up with a snap, her body going rigid, her breathing shallow and strained. Even as a child, her sleep had not been haunted by monsters but now … now she can hear the low mellifluous voice threatening her and taunting her. That in turn brings back the memories of being dragged away and being abandoned.

She can't speak of her nightmares to the General. Leia is warm and loving but in her eyes lingers a shadow that can never be lifted. Leia knows what Kylo Ren has done but how can Rey ever tell Leia to her face that her son is the monster that keeps her from sleep.

Equally, it isn't a matter that she can broach with Master Luke either. He looks at her shadowed eyes with a great deal of comprehension. "You slept badly again, Rey." It's not a question.

"Yes…" but he does not ask and she does not volunteer the details… that she has nightmares of his former pupil – his nephew. That she relives the moment again and again when Kylo Ren kills his own father – a man who was Luke's dearest friend. 

"Thank you for keeping it concealed from me, Rey," Luke tells her once, pain in his face. "I felt my friend die … knew that he had fallen, but unlike you I was spared the horror of witnessing it. I used to wonder how Master Yoda managed to bear the burden of a million tragic memories and passings."

"And?"

"Now I know why he told me was tired and allowed himself to fade into sleep."

So Rey spares her master the pain of one more burden to carry in his thoughts.

Sometimes, when it gets too much, she goes and sits in Finn's quarters and they talk until the wee small hours of the morning when sunlight creeps in through the window and the morning birds chirrup and call to one another … Finn tells her about how as a small child, he had wondered who his family was and if they missed him. He tells her about his cadet training and his fellow troopers Nines, Zeroes and Slip … that he still has nightmares about Slip's death on Jakku and Nines' death on Takodana.

In turn, Rey tells him about life on Jakku … the waiting … She doesn't talk about Kylo Ren, though and how it felt to have the enemy inside her skull, dissecting her thoughts and overriding her will power. It's not that she doesn't want to tell him … she just can't find the words.

They talk until exhaustion makes her finally able to snatch a few hours of sleep. Finn doesn't mind. He genuinely wants to help her, but he's not able to banish her nightmares - just help her keep them at bay for a time.

The physical aspects of the Jedi training help to tire her out but even when she drops into her bunk, exhausted and drained – her mind still wanders and the nightmares return. Images of Finn falling to the snow, the cold, inexorable intrusion of her mind … 

She tries to focus on pleasant things … the prism effect of the sunlight shining through the raindrops in the trees … the smell of the forest in the evening … the deep blueness of the sky … the delicious tang of a wild orange from the forest moon of Endor…

This doesn't help much so she tries focusing instead on the careless greeting Poe Dameron gives her when he walks past her with his pilots, the slight swagger in his step. She focuses on the unhidden admiration in his dark eyes when she helps Goss Toowers repair Black One, the smile on his mouth in the mornings if they both happen to exit their living quarters at the same time. She's been allocated officer's quarters despite technically not being in the military and her room is across the hall from Poe's with Finn's a couple of doors down.

Rey finds herself wondering if Poe Dameron ever has nightmares. He seems so self-assured … so at ease in his own skin and in control of his own destiny. He's always scrupulously polite with her though … respectful and deferential. The perfect gentleman. When she's attended briefings with Finn, Poe and the General, the X-wing pilot is always very consultative and polite, taking the time to listen to the opinions of all present.

He's General Organa's most darling pilot – trusted by her like no other person in the Resistance. Rey finds herself hoping that one day the General will have as much faith in her and says as much to Finn.

"He's a good guy," Finn agrees. He hesitates before continuing. "He got tortured by Kylo Ren, you know," 

"Really?"

"Well yeah … that's how we met. I rescued him from Kylo Ren … he was scheduled for termination. He wasn't just … interrogated - he was also beaten up pretty badly."

Rey's eyes widen at this new information and she leans back in her seat, processing the revelation.

*

"Bad night's sleep again?" Poe asks her one morning, as he studies her pale face with the smudges beneath her eyes.

"How did you know?"

He hesitates for a moment before speaking. "Sometimes I can hear you crying out in your sleep … and of course - I see you every morning …" he doesn't mention that it's the highlight of his day, that just seeing her makes him feel ridiculously pleased.

"I'm sorry," she replies immediately and he holds up a hand. 

"Don’t be – it's nothing to be ashamed of. You learn that the nightmares go away eventually."

"They do?" she asks sceptically and he nods, a rueful smile on his face. "It takes time."

She starts to walk down the hall but stopped when she hears his voice call after her.

"Yes?" she asks, turning back to face him.

"You didn't break under his questioning. You should hold onto that … " His smile is very twisted. "Do you know how hard it is sometimes to live with the fact that he learned that the map portion was with BB-8 from me?"

"It wasn't your fault," she assures him.

He gives a shrug but she can see that he still hasn't forgiven himself.

*

_At night, desperate to sleep, you’d imagine an ocean. I can see it…I can see the island …_

Rey's eyes snap open and she lifts her fingers to her face, dashing away the tears with frustration, angry at what she perceives to be weakness. She sits up and looks around blindly. Without quite knowing how or why she ends up there, she finds herself at Poe's door, knocking lightly on his door. 

His heavy-lidded, dark eyes widen as they take in the sight of Rey standing in his doorway, silhouetted by the dim lighting used in the base at night when it's lights-out. The young woman stands there, her thick brown hair tousled around her pale face. 

"Are you all right?" he asks in concern, eyes raking over her face and seeing her tear-stained face and swollen eyes 

"Fine," she tells him unconvincingly. 

"Still can't sleep…obviously …" 

She nods helplessly. "Is it ok if I come in?" she asks him and Poe hesitates, clearly very conflicted. General Organa has taken the young woman from Jakku under her wing and there's a bond between the two women that is almost like family. In any case, the last thing Poe wants is to incur the General's ire… but he also finds himself unable to turn her away. 

The devil sitting on Poe's shoulder wins its battle against the dutiful angel. "Come in," he invites her and glances out into the darkened hallway before he allows the doors to close. Fortunately it's deserted with no one to carry tales and gossip back to the General. 

"Take a seat. Do you want a cup of tea?" She glances around his room curiously. His sleeping quarters are larger than her own which befits his position as the commander of two X-wing squadrons. It's impersonal though … no touches that give anything away about who Poe Dameron is. 

"Yes please," she replies. 

She watches as he brews up tea for both of them. She sniffs at the fragrant tea with obvious pleasure and he smiles as he hands her a cup which she takes with both hands, eyes lit up with anticipation. She's yet to find a food or beverage that she doesn't like. 

"The tea is from Yavin 4 – where I'm from. When I was little, I used to watch the tea being harvested by hand … " He smiles, watching as she takes a sip. 

She asks him about Yavin 4 and listens intently as he tells her of the colony where he grew up and how he learned to fly with his mother. She's a good listener and so he also tells her about the labyrinth of the old Massassi ruins located to the South of the Great Temple where he would sneak away to play despite being told not to by his parents. 

"They were always afraid I'd get lost but I always managed to find my way out … " and she smiles as she imagines what he must have been like as a little boy.

Finally, when he sense that she's calm and relaxed again, he stops talking and waits for her to speak. 

"I keep having nightmares about being interrogated … controlled," she tells him unexpectedly. 

The smile fades from Poe's dark eyes. He nods. "My mind wasn’t any match for him unfortunately … he plucked the information he wanted from my head." There's a note of self-reproach and regret in his voice and Rey's eyes darken with sympathy. 

"It happened to me, too … until I realised that I could fight it … that I could fight him." Her voice becomes fierce. 

Poe looks rueful. "I wish I'd known that trick … I'd heard about the Force being used like that of course but I'd never experienced it first-hand." His voice is bleak as he recalls the invasiveness of having his mind pulled to pieces and examined against his will. 

"Master Luke is teaching me how to resist it … I could teach you as well," Rey tells him eagerly and Poe's eyes widen. 

"I'm no Jedi …" 

"You don't have to be a Jedi. Master Luke says that as part of their training, Mandalorian Security Forces learn to resist Jedi mind tricks …" 

"Well if you can do that, then I'd say that's more than worth a cup of tea," he tells her, grinning broadly at her. 

"Do you want to start now?" she asks him unexpectedly. 

"I'm up for it if you are," he tells her despite the lateness of the hour. 

* 

Rey smiles when there's a firm knock on her door the next evening. "Good evening, Commander Dameron," she greets him. 

"It's just Poe," he reminds her and walks in. Her quarters are comfortable but having him in there makes everything seem smaller … more intimate. Poe looks around. The room smells of wild flowers – night flowers and field daisies. There's also a small pile of rations on the desk but he makes no comment. He's seen the way Rey eats … as if she can't quite believe that someone isn't going to suddenly come and take her food away. 

"Have you been practising what I showed you?" she asks and he nods and sits down in a chair across the table from her. 

"Do your worst," he challenges her and her smile broadens. She closes her eyes for a moment and searches, concentrating as she reaches out into the darkness. She can sense him sitting just a short distance from her, smell the clean, masculine scent of his soap … It's clear that he's concentrating and he's doing a good job given that she's not able to detect anything despite her attempts to push past his barriers. 

She opens her eyes again and meets his gaze. "Well?" he asks her even though he knows the answer. 

"I'm impressed," she tells him, and she is. 

She walks over to him and his eyes widen, a look of confusion flickering across his face. "I'm going to try again," she tells him and to his surprise she comes to stand between his thighs and stare down at his face. A muscle moves in his jaw and she can see the pulse in his throat. 

She reaches out her hand. "May I?" she asks him. 

He nods wordlessly, his pupils dilated as he stares straight into her eyes. She touches his cheek lightly with her fingertips, her eyes remaining open and staring straight into his as she seeks him out, probing and searching … His makes a small involuntary sound and she catches brief glimpses of blurred images and thoughts. 

His breathing becomes a little shallow and his pulse quickens. He's trying to block her efforts … with partial success as the images are confusing as if viewed through an opaque film of cloud and smoke. Nonetheless, he can't block everything and she finds herself smiling despite herself, her eyes widening as she studies his face. She looks at the thickness of his black lashes, the darkness of his eyes and the smoothness of his tanned skin. 

"I didn't know you find me attractive," she remarks wonderingly, holding the thought in her mind and turning it every which way to examine it further and consider the implications of the disclosure. 

"You don't need a Jedi mind trick to know that," he retorts irrepressibly, staring at her face. He can see every freckle on her pale skin, the translucent darkness of her eyes that looks brown or olive depending on the light. Her full lips are slightly parted as she meets his gaze. 

He finds that he doesn't really want to resist her efforts to enter his thoughts. 

Her eyes widen in shock. "And do you really want to – " 

"OK, so let's not go there," he tells her firmly, shutting down his thoughts determinedly as the colour creeps into her cheeks and he can feel his own body tighten in response to her. 

"Are you afraid of General Organa?" she asks him in amusement. "She's not my mother you know ..." 

"No, but she knew my mother – and I wouldn't want to make her … unhappy," he replies, feeling a little self-conscious about his hero worship of General Organa. 

"I'm not a child, Commander Dameron." 

"You might as well call me Poe since you're poking around in my head …" he points out. 

She slants a smile at him that is definitely very unchildlike and full of unsettling awareness. "Speaking of being in your head … " she leans over, her hair brushing his cheek and whispers in his ear. "You're very aroused …" 

"And again - you don't need a Jedi mind trick to know that. Besides - you are, too," he points out. "Aroused I mean," he says, indicating her nipples that are pebbling through the fabric of her plain blouse. She stares down at her chest in shock and flushes, the heat lingering in her cheeks. Poe's smile is very knowing and intimate. 

Rey's heart thumps loudly and she's conscious of a very unfamiliar damp heat building up between her thighs. Her hand drops from Poe's face to rest on his shoulder to brace herself. Her legs suddenly feel a little unsteady. Poe refrains from touching her, imagining the General's disapproving frown and that makes Rey laugh. 

"I'm going to tell the General that you worship the ground she walks on." 

"First, get out of my head," he says mildly. "Secondly – I'm pretty sure she knows. First time we met, I was pretty starstruck. She's one of the heroes of the Rebellion … to my mother, she was almost like a God – lost her planet, her people … and she never gave up." 

Rey lifts her hand back to his cheek and traces the firm line of his jaw and traces the outline of his mouth. It takes all of his willpower to resist the urge to kiss her fingertips and the conflict shows on his face. 

"It's all right to kiss me, you know …" she tells him softly and he shakes his head, preparing to point out the reasons why it would be unwise for them to pursue anything along the lines of what's been bouncing around in his head. 

His words are cut off abruptly as her mouth covers his. Her mouth is soft and hungry … her awkward and clumsy enthusiasm make it clear that she's never kissed anyone before. Poe closes his eyes for a moment in an attempt to locate his missing willpower. He gives up and his hands reach up to cup her face gently as he teaches her how to kiss him properly. By the end of it, they're both shaking uncontrollably and she's inside his head and he's inside her head in explicit and glorious detail. 

"I guess that's one way to stop the nightmares," she says thickly and he smoothes the hair back from her face and kisses her lingeringly. 

When he finally manages to bring himself back under control with great reluctance, he prepares to leave and Rey slides her hand into his. "Don't go …" 

He looks very conflicted. "At least stay until I fall asleep…." she asks him and he nods. 

A little later, Rey's lying in her bunk, dark eyes regarding him seriously. He sits at the edge of the bed and listens as Rey tells him a story of a mysterious man named the Sitter. 

"He's always lived on Jakku – as long as I could remember and sat on top of a pillar near the Pilgrim's Road nearly in the shadow of Carbon Ridge. He would ascend the pillar at sunrise and descend it at sundown. He'd sit on that pillar for the whole day, cross-legged and wouldn't move. I never heard of him speaking … crazy people would gather below his pillar, thinking he was a prophet." Rey pauses for a moment, thinking back on the strangeness of the man. 

"If people started bothering him, a Teedo would show up and chase them away. The Teedos seemed to respect him .. protect him … bringing him spinebarrel flesh, nightblosson rind, and water to stay alive…" 

She stares up at him, seeing his tousled curls in the dark. "I suppose it's not a very interesting story compared to the stories you know …" 

"Actually it's fascinating … I'm interested in your life before joining us …" 

"I was interested in what you told me, too," she told him quickly and he laughs. 

"You're supposed to be getting sleepy," he reminds her. 

"Don't leave until I'm asleep..." 

"I promise I won't," he tells her and tells her a story of when General Organa and his mother flew together above Naboo when the Empire was attacking Naboo. When she finally falls asleep, he sits and watches over her. 

When she gives a small whimper in her sleep, Poe touches her cheek lightly. "Hey – it's ok. You're safe … " 

He feels safe, too. 

* 

Rey's eyes open in the middle of the night and she realises that her sleep has been dreamless. It feels good and she wriggles her toes in a silent celebration. 

Poe's clearly gone back to his quarters … Then her eyes come to rest upon the heap on the ground near her bunk. The pilot has stretched out on the floor of her room and is fast asleep. 

With a smile curving her mouth, she climbs out of her bunk, bringing her blanket with her and lies down beside him on the floor. She pulls the blanket over the both of them and snuggles up against his strong body contentedly. 

When Poe wakes up later, he's very bemused to find Rey curled up against him on the floor. With a rueful smile he picks her up and carries her back to her bunk. After a moment's hesitation, he slides in beside her and allows himself to fall asleep again. 

He's the first one to wake up in the morning. "Wake up, we have to go," he tells her with a smile on his face. "We have an early morning briefing in the command centre." 

Rey yawns sleepily but she's smiling and he can see every thought in her head … 

* 

After that, she goes to his quarters every evening when it's bedtime. She doesn't even knock on the door – he just knows she's there and he presses the panel to slide open the door and she walks in as though she belongs there. 

She suspects that Finn has guessed … but there's really nothing going on, so there's not really anything to guess. In contrast, Poe's almost sure that General Organa would be pretty unimpressed to know that Rey comes to sleep in his bunk every evening – even if nothing actually happens. 

Yet. 

It's just a matter of time. There's no point trying to pretend, not when each one has almost complete access to the other's thoughts in disconcerting and graphic detail. 

Nonetheless, he's not going to rush into things and it's enough that she lies beside him and they talk – whether aloud or wordlessly. 

* 

"You're getting pretty good at this," she remarks when he resists her suggestion again. 

"Maybe I'm not as weak-minded as I used to be," he jokes. 

She stares at him fixedly. "You _will_ let me fly Black One," she orders him with a very firm and determined tone to her voice and he snorts with laughter. 

"You're not getting anywhere near my baby until you stop doing those crazy moves in the flight simulator." 

"I'm just copying your flight moves!" she protests in outrage and he laughs. 

Finally, she gives up and makes sure that she is sedate and cautious in her next sim session, executing textbook manoeuvres with great restraint and precision and following all of his orders to the letter. Her flying is beyond reproach and Goss Toowers gives her the thumbs up. Poe finally agrees to let her fly Black One amidst Rey's whoops of exultation. 

An hour later, Finn and Poe stand on the tarmac and watch Rey flying above them. The X-wing with the distinctive black colouring does a complete rotation on both its longitudinal and lateral axes, causing it to follow a helical path while maintaining its original direction. 

"That's her third barrel roll," Poe mutters. 

"I'm pretty certain she learned the torque roll from you," Finn points out. 

They watch as Rey soars past in another risky fly by of the base, climbing quickly before diving dramatically …. 

"That's definitely one of yours, too," Finn tells him. 

"Rey – stop diving in Black One," Poe tells her over the comlink. 

"I could have told you that she was going to do that," Finn tells his friend. 

* 

"Dameron - you _will_ give me your cream puff," she orders him when they sit in the mess hall. 

"No. And you Jedi need to learn how to share your things," Poe replies, picking up his cream puff and breaking it in half, handing her half and popping the rest into his mouth. He watches as she licks the cream from the corner of her mouth delicately and imagines himself doing it instead … 

"You will give me your cream puff," she orders Finn instead who looks at her with a grin. 

"I will give you my cream puff," he intones obediently and hands it over to her. Rey frowns. She's been teaching him the same techniques so his compliance is puzzling. 

"I think he's playing with your mind, Rey," Poe remarks dryly. 

That night after she goes into his room, Rey tries again. "You will let me come with you on your next mission." She really means this one and she plays dirty by making sure she's standing right near him and touching him when she makes the suggestion. 

He smiles and cups her face in his hands. "No," he tells her firmly. "It's too dangerous and you're not done with your training yet." 

She slides her arms around his neck and whispers in his ear. "Why don't you do to me that thing you were thinking about this morning …" she invites him. She closes her eyes and lets him in, filtering nothing and can hear him mutter a choice curse word. 

"I give up, I will do that thing to you that I was thinking about this morning," he says joking and his mouth comes down hard on hers. "You … know you are … terrifying," he tells her as he starts sliding her blouse from her shoulders. "Adorable – but terrifying." 

Her breath catches as his clever hands slide down her body, followed by his equally clever mouth. She's never felt quite so out of control of her own body before and he shows her exactly what he's been wanting to do to her for as long as he can recall. 

* 

The next morning, Rey sneaks back to her own quarters, face flushed and body aching pleasurably. "Morning," they greet Finn who looks at them sourly. 

"Seriously - you're not going to fool anyone." 

"You mean they finally did it?" Jessika demands, staring back and forth between Rey who looks expressionless and Poe who looks impassive. 

"More than once by the sounds of it," Finn tells her. "Who do I requisition for sound insulation on my room?" he demands. 

He laughs when Poe gives him a friendly punch in the shoulder. 

* 

"So were you ever going to get around to telling me, Commander?" the General asks one morning after the daily muster and she's walking alongside Poe back to the command centre. 

Rey and Finn are walking past on the way to training and both acknowledge Leia and Poe politely. The glance that passes between Rey and Poe however is charged with unspoken communication and Leia's mouth curves into a smile. 

"I figured I didn't have to, General," he tells her politely. 

She inclines her head in acknowledgment of the truth of his words. She's not unhappy with the situation. 

"I guess I don't need to tell you to be gentle … she's alone in the world with no family." 

"With all due respect – she's not alone anymore, General." 

Leia smiles. "I stand corrected – and happily so." She looks at the man with Shara Bey's eyes and smile. "Love one another … care for one another … and be there for one another when things are dark and difficult – you know from your parents that it's possible to love like that …" Her voice quavers with sadness and regret and Poe looks away politely. 

Leia gathers her composure about herself once more and she is as calm and regal as a queen. "I must say, I wouldn't have thought you were one for sneaking between sleeping quarters …Isn't that a bit beneath you, commander?" 

Poe flushes slightly and laughs. "I'm told that the Force has a powerful effect on the weak-minded," he jokes and that makes Leia chuckles, a throaty sound, hoarse from lack of use. 

"Don't give me that rubbish. You know exactly what you're doing, Commander Dameron." 

Poe grins. 

* 

"Still have a headache?" Rey asks sympathetically. Both he and Finn (with great difficulty) had managed to withstand almost an hour of Luke Skywalker throwing all number of outlandish suggestions at them. 

The older man hadn't attempted to be gentle in his attacks, using all of his mind and power to attempt to break past their defences and barriers. 

Poe manages a groan and Rey laughs. "Well you passed … we all did," she announces proudly. 

"Thanks to you," he tells her and closes his eyes for a moment to try to stop the hammering in his head. 

Rey's lips are cool against his cheek, sliding down his jaw and she brushes her mouth against his. "Does this help?" she asks him softly. 

She slides his jacket from his shoulders. "Keep going," he urges her and she does. 


End file.
